West Devon MPs have give a cautious welcome to Stagecoach ‘rezoning’ for buses into Plymouth.

Stagecoach is introducing a new ten-mile zone around Plymouth, Exeter and Torbay from January 4, 2026, offering single all-day fares in that zone.

For those travelling by bus between Plymouth and Tavistock, this zone includes Yelverton and Horrabridge and surrounding villages.

This means that simplified tickets and slightly lower fares for those travelling in from that area.

MPs Sir Geoffrey Cox (Tavistock and Torridge) and Rebecca Smith (South West Devon) have welcomed the move as a step in the right direction, after they intervened following an outcry last summer at changes that affected schoolchildren from West Devon travelling into Plymouth.

Last summer, many local families were thrown into turmoil after Stagecoach introduced fundamental changes to their services at the last minute before the start of term, along with some crippling price hikes.

In response, the two MPs held crisis talks with the Stagecoach chief executive Peter Knight on August 12. Sir Geoffrey and Rebecca then facilitated a further meeting with county council representatives and Stagecoach on September 12 and have since lobbied the Secretary of State for an urgent meeting to discuss school transport funding from central government for Devon.

One of the undertakings to come out of the crisis talks on 12 August was that Stagecoach would look at rezoning certain areas in Torridge and West Devon to include them within the Plymouth and Barnstaple zones.

Responding to this news, Sir Geoffrey said: “I am pleased that the review of zoning boundaries I proposed to Stagecoach with Rebecca Smith MP back in August has now concluded with the announcement that many of the worst fare increases will be mitigated. I will be reviewing the detailed proposals with Stagecoach over the next few days to work out the full effects and how other left-out areas might be included. However, this means that the fares in each new zone will be fairer and will bring some relief to hundreds of families affected. My thanks to the chief executive for listening to my representations and for meeting me at my office on several occasions to take these proposals forward.”

He added: “It’s a first step in the right direction.”

Rebecca said: "This week's announcement on the Stagecoach rezoning is great news for my West Devon residents in Yelverton and Horrabridge. I thank the managing director for listening to Sir Geoffrey and my representations for this change.

"However, I continue to hold concerns about the reliability of Stagecoach's services. Too many families have been forced to make alternative travel arrangements because of late, overcrowded and cancelled buses. I am continuing to lobby Stagecoach with Sir Geoffrey for real improvements in service levels so our communities can rely on the buses they depend on to get to school, work, attend appointments and socialise."

The new ‘local zone’ fares allows passengers to buy a single day ticket and travel as much as they want within zone 1 – a ten-mile radius around Plymouth – costing £6.50 for a day ticket for an adult and £4.30 for a child.

A ‘zone 1’ term ticket costs £313. A seven-day ‘zone 1’ ticket is £26 for an adult or £17.20 for a child.

A 28-day ‘zone 1’ ticket is £96.20 for an adult or £63.50 for a child.

This appears to help families in the Horrabridge and Yelverton areas get to school by bus. However, it still leaves Tavistock and Whitchurch outside the ten-mile zone.